Might and Magic
by Sammie Spitz
Summary: (8) *Chapter 9 Up* The team goes from their world of technology and guns to a world of magic and sorcerey. And it needs their help.
1. The Summoning

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 1: The Summoning  
  
"And, after the final blow was dealt," King Jeff concluded his story, "The demon hound feel at the warrior's feet and," He threw sand into the fire, causing it to flare up a little, "burnt to a firey and. With the demon gone and the villiage safe, he went back to his family."  
  
Everyone that was sitting around the camp fire with him that night clapped and cheered for him. His audience included Barry, Juno, Vela, Lupus, Floyd, two other JF soldiers, and a family of five Tribals. One of the other soldiers was Sam. She was part of a race called Sature. The top half of her was that of a brown-haired, green-eyed human, while the bottom was that of a white and brown horse. She wore a white, midrith shirt with a chinese dragon on it and a denim skirt.  
  
The other soldier was Cyrus. He looked like a typical human: long, white hair, silver eyes and in a black leather jacket and jeans. What stood out was the fact that his eyes resembled a cat. That was because he was part werewolf. He shifted between his human form and that of a white werewolf.  
  
"That was great!" Juno said.  
  
"Now that's a little surprising." Jeff said with a chuckle, "Usually soldiers complain about the stories being for little kids."  
  
"I wouldn't get sick of 'em." Vela commented, "They're always exciting."  
  
"Yeah, wouldn't you imagine fighting like that?" Juno pondered, "I mean, with the sword and all those old fashioned weapons? And going out there on horse back? Now, that's excitment! Everyone's so afraid to get that close, they usually only use guns. Is there even anyone left who uses that combat anymore?"  
  
"Ask just about anyone in the mounted squadrons." Cyrus answered with a laugh. Juno had forgotten that most mounted officers used swords or whips, since ammo wasn't an issue.  
  
Then, they noticed the Tribal family. The husband with the baby in his lap, and the wife with the son and daughter. The daughter pulled on her mother's dress and asked, "Demon hounds aren't gonna attack us, are they?"  
  
Vela patted the little girl on the back and said, "Don't worry. They don't live on this planet." This was one of the most rewarding parts for Vela. She loved kids. She could never lose her temper or get frustrated with kids.  
  
"Besides," Sam added, "There are a ton of warriors here. If any demons go after the village, we can deal with them."  
  
"Well, if we're going to deal with any such thing, we'd better get some sleep. It's getting late." Jeff interrupted.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, little did anyone know that they were being watched. The observer watched them from another dimension with a special spell. He wanted they're help but he wasn't sure. They seemed a little inexperienced. He then sighed and said, "Well, I suppose it's better than nothing."  
  
  
  
The Gemini squadron were all asleep in their house. they lived in a two-story house that was located convenitenly next to a launch pad on Goldwood. That night, they were all fast asleep, when Juno heard a sudden sound in the hall. He lifted himself up and listened more carefully. It was like some kind of strange animal crashing around in the hallway. And it was awfully close.  
  
In nothing but his jeans, he quietly slipped out of his bed, which was the bottom bunk. He climbed up the ladder and looked at his sleeping sister. He gently gave her a shake. She groaned and looked up at him.  
  
"Juno...what the..?"  
  
"Shhh, I think something's in the house."  
  
Vela listened for herself. She gulped nervously, then asked, "A prowler?" Sure, she was a soldier. But, the idea of a prowler in the house sent chills up any woman's spine.  
  
"I don't know, but we better check it out." The two went for the door. On the way, Vela nudged Lupus away. At the thought that he may get to chase a prowler, he barked a little, which awoke Floyd.  
  
"Why are you two up at 3:50 AM?" He asked curiously, "This isn't your usual sleep pattern."  
  
"Someone's in the house." Juno whispered.   
  
"But I didn't detect any knocking. Aren't they supposed to do that?"  
  
"If it's a prowler, they don't?"  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"Criminals that sneek into your house. Now, just follow us so we can see what's going on."  
  
The all quietly walked out into the hallway. They didn't need to go far to see the intruder. I was a strange animal, about the size of a large horse. It had an eagle's head and wings, dog's ears, lion's front boby and horse's hind body. When it heard the footsteps, it turned around with a start and looked at them nervously.   
  
Juno quietly approached it, the others following behind him. The creature held still. When Juno was about arms length, the creature brought it's head back. Suddenly, there was a bright flash. Floyd closed the lenses on his eye cameras. When he opened them, the rest of the team was gone, and the animal with them.  
  
"Oh my. this isn't good at all." He said nervously, "Juno! Vela! Lupus! Anybody! Where are you?! Oh dear!"  
  
Floyd was panic striken. He could only think of one thing to do. He rushed of for help. For the only person he though could help him in a situation like this.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. Introductions

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 2: Introductions  
  
Juno began to regain some strength. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a forest of some kind. Trees were everywhere, as well as the song of birds. However, upon closer inspection, this forest wasn't on Goldwood or anywhere else he was familiar with.   
  
He noticed the blanket covering him. Whoever or whatever was responsible for it was at least nice enough to keep them from freezing in the night. He lifted himslef of. Naturally, gravity caused the blanket to slid off. He looked down and got a big surprise....  
  
...he had horse legs! He got a better look and it looked like someone cut the head of some poor horse and stuck his upper body on it. Of course, that wasn't what really happened, but it was the best description. He was still shirtless, with his blue hair down and just below his shoulders. His equine half was lightish blue with a white tail, the left hind leg with a white sock mark, and the right front with a white stocking mark.  
  
He decided to at least try and stand up. First, he got up on his front legs carefully. Then, when he could holf his weight on those, he steadied his hind legs. He almost stumbled over, but he was able to catch himself. Then, he looked around, in an attempt to get a better idea of where he was. He happened to notice his sister, laying about eight feet away, also in a blanket. He carefully made his way over to her, not wanting to trip on his own legs and fall on her. He tripped a few times and stumbled, but made it over to her.   
  
He knelt down beside her to get a better look at her. She seemed to be having trouble getting her breath. He couldn't be sure why. There could have been hundreds of causes. Something else that bothered him was the shape under that blanket that was supposed to be her legs. They just didn't look right. He took the blanket off.  
  
Vela wasn't safe from whatever transformed Juno. From a Little under her waist down was a silver-blue dolphin tail. She was still dressed in the pink night gown she wore to bed. This transformation into a mermaid may have answered why she was having breathing problems.  
  
"Looks like you need some water." Juno said. He gentley picked her up and looked around for any kind of water. He looked behind some bushes and found a small creek. He found a shallow spot and set Vela down in it. He then started splashing some water onto her. It seemed to do her some good. Her breathing eased. She also started to stir in his arms.   
  
She started to wake up. When she woke up, she noticed the horse man holding her. Stories from King Jeff flashed in her mind about how they used to carry of women into caves and the poor girls wer enever seen again. She started panicing, thrashing around. Suddenly, the creatur espoke in a familiar voice: "Calm down, Vela, it's me!"  
  
Vela looked up at him again. Sure enough, it was Juno.  
  
"Juno, what the hell happened to you?" She asked. The she noticed her tail and asked, "And what the hell happened to me?!"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm gonna have a look around." Suddenly, there was a whimper coming from the bushes. Juno got up and continued, "I wonder if that's Lupus."  
  
"I'll go with you." Vela said. She tried to heave herself back on shore, but Juno moved her closer to the center, making her put her new tail to use.  
  
"I don't think you should be out of the water, sis." He told her, "I'll be right back."  
  
  
  
Juno walked inot the bushes that the noise came from. He was starting to ajust to his new legs. He peeked inot the bushes. A strange dog was sitting in the middle of a clearing. It looked like a floppy-eared, golden retreiver that was the size of a pony. It had armor on it's paws and body. Upon hearing footsteps, it turned around and looked at him with familiar, green eyes.  
  
"Hi, Lupus." Juno said. Lupus recongized his master and walked up to him. He jumped up, placing his front paws on his shoulders and licking him. Lupus grew happier with every lick.  
  
"You missed me, didn't you?" Juno smiled and scratched him between the ears. Lupus then got down and trotted of. He figured, if Juno was here, Vela had to be nearby as well. He caught a whiff of her in a breeze and followed it.  
  
  
  
Vela had gotten herself in a small fix. Instead of listening to Juno, she crawled out of the creek. Not long after, possibly only a few minutes later, she started getting short of breath.  
  
"Damn it! Why the heck is this happening? I wasn't hurt or anything." She grumbled. She also cursed about the fact she couldn't walk, due to her tail, and she had to crawl around like someone who got both legs broken.  
  
Unfortunetly, Vela knew very little about mermaids. Rather than going back to the creek, which would have helped, she dragged herself to a large rock about ten feet away from the creek. She propped herslef against it, trying to catch her breath. It didn't help that the sun beat down on the peticular part she was sitting at.  
  
As she sat there, she noticed the giant dog heading for her.  
  
"Oh shit! If this is his territory, I'm as good as gone!" She paniced. She tried to get up, but fell over. She forgot she didn't have legs. She covered her head with her arms, her fright causing her breathing to get even more shortened. Suddenly, the dog started nosing at her arms. When she looked up, she looked right in the eyes of the creature, which she realized was Lupus.  
  
He looked down at her, his tounge hanging down and his eyes bright and happy. He licked her in the face happily as she scratched him.  
  
Juno followed and looked over at them. Then he groaned, "Sis, what did I tell you?"  
  
"You expected me to just sit there?" She replied, her shortness of breath becoming a little more obvious. Juno grabbed one of the blankets, soaked it, and then wrapped it around her and picked her up. Her breathing eased again, but he wasn't sure how long this would last.   
  
He sighed a bit and muttered, "I wonder where Floyd is."  
  
  
  
"Calm down, Floyd! Settle down!" Barry said, trying to calm down Floyd, "Just tell me again. Slower this time."  
  
"They just vanished!" He repeated, "This strange animal of some kind appeared in the hall. And, when we got close to it, the twins, Lupus and the creature were all gone! So, I flew all the way her eto see King Jeff. This seemed rather supernatural, especially that animal, and I thought he may know something."  
  
"OK, I'll go get him. Just stat here." Barry went behind a flap at the back of the hut and came back with his brother, "Alright, just tell Jeff what you told me."  
  
  
  
Juno looked around a little more, trying to figure out where he was. As he did, some strange animals ran by in terror. A unicorn and her foal and a couple of rainbow colored cats. He then noticed the sound. It sounded like a small stampede. And it was getting close fast. Juno tried to run, but soon found himself surrounded by a herd of six, black, mean-looking horses. A centaur stepped out of the bushes. He looked a little like Juno, but also different. He had short brown hair, and a black horse body with red stripes along the back and on the legs. He was covered in red war paint, was also shirtless, and had a blet he kept his weapons on.  
  
"Hmmm, must be forgine." He muttered, "Never seen any of you around here." He went over to Juno, who had Vela in his arms. The centaur peeked inot the blanket a little.  
  
"Now I know your forgine. Usually this race doesn't wear that." He said, in response to her night gown, "Pretty one though."  
  
Juno couldn't stand this animal. He had a bad feeling about him right from the start. And it only got worse. They're reputation, according to Jeff, wasn't helping.  
  
"Keep your hands off my sister!" He growled.  
  
The centaur looked up and asked, "Your sister?"  
  
"I know she doesn't look like she is, but trust me. She's my twin, too. So, hands off!"  
  
The centaur looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look, stranger. I'm the law in this area. So your in now position to give me orders. Understood?"  
  
Juno had had just about enough. He knew he needed to get out of here. And he knew he needed to get past this creature and his lackies to pull it off. He reared up and kicked the centaur. He then back-kicked two of the horses behind him. He then galloped off, Vela in his arms and Lupus at his heels.  
  
As he ran after him, the centaur pulled something from his weapon belt. It was a rope with a rock tied at each end. He spun it around over his head and then let it fly. It tied Juno's legs together. He fell over, but positioned himself so he fell on his back and didn't hurt Vela. Vela, realizing Juno was winded and stunned, crawled out of the blanket and dragged herself towards the centaur. Lupus trotted to her side.  
  
"You listen to me, woman." the centaur growled, bending down to her "As Alpha the Ruthless, the soldier the great King Crozen put in charge of the Jade Forests, you must not disrespect my authority."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Vela smirked, "Well, as Vela Caspia Gemini, famous warrior from the far off planet Goldwood, I must tell you that you shouldn't have done that to my brother and it's an even worse idea to be this close to me so soon after you did it."  
  
Alpha was a little stunned. This little bitch really had the nerve to threaten her? He got face-to-face with her and asked, "Really? Why not?"  
  
"Cause I may just do something like this!" Vela got a strong grip on his throat. He tried to yank her off. She then got onto his back, tried to wrap her tail around him, got her arms under his, and yanked up, as though she were trying to yank his shoulders out.   
  
He thrashed around, bucking and rearing and trying desperatly to get her off. Lupus tried to rush up and bite him but he couldn't get close enough. His flailing hooves kept him back.  
  
Alpha finally got a hold of her. He used all his strength and threw her over his head. She hit the ground hard. With her out of the way, he turned his attention to the dog. As he was getting a knife out, something dive-bombed him in the back. He turned around upon hearing something land behind him. It was the same animal that had first found the twins. It snarled at Alpha.  
  
"So, you think your smart, do you Sun Wind?" Alpha sneered. Sun Wind reared up with an angry cry.  
  
"Well, if you think your so tough, make a move." The creature's response was to suddenly start slashingt him. The creature was faster than he first expected. He finally decided against fighting it. He just threw down some smoke as a destraction and dissapeared into the woods.  
  
Sun Wind just stood there, snorting. She then went over to the visitors. Juno just had some scraps from the fall. Lupus was unharmed. But, Vela wasn't in good shape. She'd been away from water for a great deal of time, making breathing a greater challange than it ever was before. Sun Wind quietly nudged her. Juno rushed over and held Vela, almost in tears over what was happening. Sun Wind walked off into the bush. She looked back at Juno and tossed her head a bit, as though beconing him to follow. At a loss of better ideas, he scooped up Vela and followed.  
  
She lead them to a small house in a clearing. She scratched at the door. The creature that answered almost resembled a Sature. The top half was a human with silver eyes and short white hair. His bottom half, rather than that of a horse, was that of a white dog. He wore a purple tunis that went down to his knees with a white sash and a purple cape that went to the base of his tail.  
  
"Hello, Sun Wind. I see you found them." He smiled. He then looked at Vela, now unconsious in Juno's arms and muttered, "Uh-oh. Quick, bring her inside!"  
  
He had Juno place her on a bed. He rushed off to another part of the house to get some things while Juno sat nearby. He was so worried about what was going to happen to Vela. The man came back with a bottle of some blue liquid and a large silver thing almost covered in a blanket. He took a cloth and put some of the liquid on it. He then wiped it around her neck and face.  
  
She already seemed to be feeling better. He then took out the other object, a metallic, silver belt with a blue stone in the center. He put it around her waist. It started to glow. When it stopped, it seemed fused around her waist. He then pulled the blanket onto her and said, "A little more rest and she should be fine. She was pretty lucky."  
  
"Thanks. She really means a lot to me. You see-"  
  
"You and your twin sister are orphans, right Juno?" He asked.  
  
Juno couldn't have been more shocked. This stranger knew his name and his past! What else did he know? Before he could ask him anything, Vela started to stir. She looked up and asked, "Juno, where am I?"  
  
"Your in my house on Malenton." the man replied.   
  
"What the heck happened to me? I feel like crap."  
  
"Well, first of all, you need to understand that mermaids were not ment to go on land. That belt should handle things so you can breath air. But, as for getting around, your better off in the water, Vela."  
  
Vela's eyes widened and she asked, "How the hell did you know my-?"  
  
"I'd like to know the same thing." Juno added, "He did the same to me."  
  
"That's very simple. I'm a wizard. My name is Tobias. Since I'm a wizard, I know all abou tyou two and Lupus." Lupus cocked an ear.  
  
"So, why were we brought here." Vela asked, sitting up.  
  
"And why were we turned into these." Juno added. Lupus gave an agreeing bark. Just as Tobias was about to answer, another creature walked in It was a large siamese cat that was built like a human. It had rainbow wings and wore a pair of black shorts with a white sash, both of which looked worn.  
  
"Babylon, is everything all right?" Tobias asked.  
  
"Afraid not." He answered, panting, "Something got Alpha and his troops worked up and they're heading here!"  
  
"Um, sorry. That may have something to do with us." Juno said, "We had a run-in with him and-"  
  
"That's alright. You're not familiar with this place. Of course things like this will happen. But, we do need an escape plan." Suddenly, he was hit with a brain storm. "Everyone, out the back door!"  
  
They all followed his orders. He lead them down a path to another small house. Tobias banged on the door.  
  
The creature that answered it was a German Sheperd Dog, wearing a Merlin type hat and cape, blue with gold stars and moons. He smiled and said, "Tobias, what brings you and this merry band along?"  
  
"A bit of an emergency." Tobias replied as they all came in. Tobias, Sun wind, Babylon, Lupus and Juno, with Vela on his equine back, holding onto him.   
  
"Alpha got worked up by our visitors by accident. We got away for now." Babylon continued.  
  
"We'd better tell Jeff about the soldiers being here. He may be worried. The dog took out a lens in his mouth and put it on the floor.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to mean King Jeff of the Tribals, would you?" Juno asked.  
  
"Sure do."  
  
"You know King Jeff?!"  
  
"Better than you think."  
  
  
"This is very distressing!" Floyd continued, "We need to locate them at once!"  
  
"But we barely have any clue as to where they are!" Jeff answered. Suddenly, his rod started to glow. He cast a small spell and a transparent image of the wizard dog stood before him.  
  
"Jeff, it's been a while since we've last seen each other, hasn't it?" The dog said, smiling.  
  
"Rainer, yes, it has. A few years, I think."  
  
"Well, listen, did you happen to notice any soldiers going missing?"  
  
"Yes, three to be exact."  
  
"Well, there right here. They'e fine. Excuse me for a minute, please." He turned to the twins, "You two are going to need to blend in a little better. Your dog is just fine, but all you need is a different outfit. There's some clothes in the other rooms."  
  
As he continued the conversation with Jeff, the twins changed into different clothes. They came out a few minutes later. Juno wore a dark blue vest with a white sash. Vela had on a light blue blouse that fit tightly to her, since she was, likely, going to be in the water, and had white trimming on the neck, bottom and sleeves.  
  
"...And that's why we need them." After saying a few more parting words to his old friend, promising to keep in touch, Rainer turned around and smiled, "Much better."  
  
Suddenly, there was a sound, like a horse kicking at the side of the house. Then a scream, "I know you have those rebels in there! Where are they?!"  
  
To Be Continued... 


	3. Getting The Story

*Author's Note: Chapter two had a ton of typos. I'm sorry -.-. I read this one over this time and fixed it.   
  
Might and Magic   
  
By Sammie Spitz   
  
Chapter 3: Getting The Story   
  
"Looks like he found us." Rainer muttered.   
  
In the midst of the confusion, Tobias handed the communication lens to Babylon. and said, "I'll keep him busy. You just get a good distance away."   
  
Babylon realized what he was up to when he produced his staff with a puff of smoke and mounted on Sun Wind. He said, "You can't be serious! Alpha is a raving luniatic! You won't stand a chance! He'll rip you apart!"   
  
"Just get going!" Was Tobias's only reply. He dissapeared with a flash and there was a commotion outside.   
  
"You heard him." Rainer sighed, "There's a secret way out of the house. Follow me." He pushed a small stone dragon on a shelf and a door opened on the back of the house. They all slipped out, Juno carrying Vela. Rainer quickly lead them down a path that was near the passage. Then, he went off the path, with the group behind him.   
  
After running for about half an hour, they reached a clearing and Rainer was convinced they'd ran far enough. Everyone just about collapsed, except for Vela, who was abruptly dropped by her worn-out brother.   
  
"I think we lost him." Rainer panted.   
  
"But what about Tobias?" Vela asked, "And Sun Wind?"   
  
"We can only hope for the best." Babylon said.   
  
"So, now that we've got a spare minute," Juno said, "why were we brought here anyway?"   
  
"And turned into characters out of Greek myths?" Vela added. Lupus gave an agreeing bark.   
  
"It's a long story, but I'll try." Rainer answered, "You see, Malenton was a peaceful place until recently. You see, it started with this stranger who called himself Crozen. One day, he and his minions came and took over. That's why we brought you here."   
  
"But, couldn't you have gotten some knights to do it." Juno asked.   
  
"We tried that. Most of them were slain. What little were left sided with Crozen. Most of those were turned into monsters."   
  
"OK," Vela said, "But, did we have to be turned into-"   
  
"I'm afraid so." Rainer finished, "You see, humans weren't meant to be here. So, the magic of our realm transformed you. It's for the best, though. It helps you blend in better, so no one will suspect anything." Then, he sighed, "I know you were brought here against your will. If you don't want to help, you don't have to."   
  
"Of course we'll help." Juno said, "Won't we?"   
  
"Sure," Vela nodded, "We can't just desert you now." Lupus barked.   
  
"Really?" Babylon asked, "You'll help?"   
  
"Of course." Juno told them.   
  
"So, it begins." A voice said from behind a tree. They all looked towards it. From behind it appeared a tall, human-like, Borzoi. She stood upright and was built like a human. She was white with an orange-brown patch mark over one side of her face. She wore a white tunic and tight purple pants that went halfway up her lower leg. She had a guitar strapped to her back.   
  
"Hello there." Juno said, nervously.   
  
"Greetings." She replied, "I see my prophecy came true after all."   
  
"Prophecy?" Vela asked, "You mean we're part of a prophecy?"   
  
"Indeed you are."   
  
"Who are you anyway?"   
  
The Borzoi bowed gracefully and said, "My name is Rickeena. In my prophecy, the voices above spoke of three warriors coming from another world to aid us in our battle."   
  
"Really?" Juno said, in amazment. He'd never seen an actual prophet before. He'd always assumed seeing into the future was just a hoax, "So, you're a real prophet?"   
  
Rickeena looked down and replied, "Yes, but not an extaordinary one, I'm afraid. I do have some phycic abilities, but I'm more of a musician. I can only receive a message one peice at a time."   
  
"By the sounds of it, we'll need any help we can get." Vela said, "So, anything else?"   
  
"I did get one more piece of this puzzle." She replied, "It told me of titanous, stone grey demons who live on clouds on the earth. You must follow the path of glass to find them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way. Crozen is very displeased with my family and me, so I must always be on the move. We shall meet again." She brought her guitar in front of her and walked into the woods, strumming on it and singing a forgine song to herself.   
  
"That poor Rickeena," Vela sighed, "She doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself, it sounds like."   
  
"She's a very humble girl." Rainer said, "Her phycic abilities are actually very strong. She's just to modest too admit how powerful she really is."   
  
"Well, we'd better try and untangle the clue. 'The path of glass?'" Juno said. They sat there, trying to find the message in the clue they were given.   
  
After a while, Babylon suggested, "I wonder if she was refering to the Krystalgi River. It's name roughly translates into 'glass'."   
  
"Seems reasonable enough." Vela suggested, "Where is that?"   
  
"Not far at all." Babylon answered, "About a ten minute walk. But what about those demons she was telling us of? And the clouds?"   
  
"I suppose that's something we'll need to find out along the way." Rainer said.   
  
"Not so fast!" A voice hollared. They al turned and met Alpha again. He was snorting and seemed to have a few bruises and scratches.   
  
"What the hell did you do to-?!" Juno started.   
  
"The bastard got away!" Alpha finished, "Just hand over the sheperd dog and I'll leave you damned forginers alone."   
  
He took a step towards Rainer, but Juno shot up and pawed the ground a little, telling him, "If you want him so bad, your gonna have to get past me."   
  
"Real funny, now get out of the way." Alpha tried to go around him, but Juno just stepped in the way again.   
  
"Stop being a little bastard and get lost!"   
  
Juno just gave him a dirty look.   
  
"Look, if you don't stop acting like a damned idiot, I'm gonna make sure you regret it!"   
  
Suddenly, he reared up and missed Juno by only a few inches. Juno did his best to defend himself. It didn't help that he knew next to nothing about centaur combat. Finally, he got an idea. As Alpha was rearing up, he reared up in front of him and tried to push him over. They struggled with each other on their hind legs for a while, pushing and grunting in exauhstion. Finally, Alpha's hind legs, not ment to hold up all that weight, gave out on him and he fell over. As he lay there on his side, Juno looked down at him.   
  
"You might want to watch who you threaten and swear at." He muttered to him. He was about to turn around. Suddenly, Alpha gave him a sharp kick to the legs. He just started flailing his legs and effectivly nailed Juno. He tripped over. Alpha staggered over to him. During the earlier fight, Juno gave him a sharp kick to a front leg, giving him a noticable limp.   
  
"Stupid kid." He mumbled, standing over him and keeping his hurt leg off the ground, "You have way too much nerve for me to let you get away."   
  
He started bracing himself to rear up. Realizing what was coming next, Juno closed his eyes. Suddenly, There was a rustling sound. As Alpha was in the middle of rearing, a white flash came out of a nearby tree and hit Alpha, stunning him and making him fall back. It was Rickeena.   
  
"You!" Alpha hollared, recovering from his stun, "You're that little bitch I've been chasing after for weeks!"   
  
"And you're the heartless savage that murdered my grandfather before my very eyes." She growled back, "But, now is the time to settle this vendeta."   
  
Enraged by her attitude, Alpha reared up to strike. But, she was too fast for him. She gave a sudden kick, knocking him over once more. His weakened hind legs couldn't hold up and he tumbled over. Luck wasn't with him, unfortunetly. He fell against a rock and then lay on it, limp and supposedly lifeless. Everyone stood in shock.   
  
"Oh dear." Rickeena finally muttered. She slowly approached the body. As she did, it suddenly began to glow. He began to slowly change shape. It was hard to tell, since he glowed so brightly. Smoke filled the area. No one could see anything. Suddenly, Rickeena let out a frightened shreik.   
  
To Be Continued...


	4. Down The River

Might And Magic   
  
By Sammie Spitz   
  
Chapter 4: Down The River...   
  
Juno ran over to Rickeena to try and help her. He tried to find her, but the mist was so thick he could barely see anything. The mist finally started to clear. Suddenly, a large creature suddenly ran at him. Juno turned to face it. It looked like a bull with dog's legs, sharp claws and a pair of long tusks protruding from it's mouth. This monstrosity, he guessed, used to be Alpha.   
  
The creature slowly advance at him. Juno tried to back up, but trying to do this with four legs proved to be a challenge. But, he quickly got the hang of it. He tried to land a kick every now and then to keep the creature at bay. But, it wasn't working. Then, Juno suddenly felt his back touch the bark of a rather large tree. He was trapped.   
  
Alpha glared at him. He jumped up on his hinds and put a massive paw on each side of Juno against the tree. He came nose to nose with him, drool dripping from his saber teeth. Then, with no warning, he suddenly let out a painful roar. He turned around. Vela had crawled up to his tail, with two rocks. She had just smashed his tail between the rocks, obviously breaking it.   
  
Vela did her best to stand taller on her tail fin and challenged, "C'mon, freak! If you really think your so tough, why don't you turn your sorry ass around and face me like a man!"   
  
Alpha looked around and glared at her. Not impressed, Vela continued to mock him. She yelled, "What's this? You're all bark and no bite, eh? Thought so. You don't even have the guts to stand up to a little girl!"   
  
"Vela! Stop it!" Juno shouted. He was aware of the danger she was in, even if she wasn't.   
  
"Don't worry, bro. This coward couldn't stand up to an ant!"   
  
"Sis, don't!"   
  
"I've seen rocks smarter than him!"   
  
"Sis, I'm begging you! Listen to reason, for once in your life!"   
  
"He probably couldn't hit the broad side of a-!" Vela's next insult was cut off very violently. Enraged beyond control, Alpha delivered a powerful back kick. It hit Vela in the chest and stomach and was strong enough to sent to flying into the bushes, beyong Juno's sight.   
  
"VELA!!" He shouted, "Sis! Can you hear me?!" Not hearing an answer filled him with a sudden rage. He foucused all his anger into his front legs. When Alpha lookd back at him, Juno managed to rear up and give him a kick in the chest the made him back away. As Alpha was stunned, something in the bushes caught Juno's eye. Figuring he had time, he dug in the bush and found a rusty, but still strong-looking sword.   
  
He picked the sword up and eyed Alpha, who had just regained his footing. Alph acharged at him. Juno charged as well, with the sword aimed at Alpha. When the two met, there was a bright flash. When the flash cleared, Juno stood in the middle of a circle of black dust, some of it covering him. He shook it off and then looked down at the ground. There was a strange bronze ammulet on the ground with a green ribbon on it. He picked it up and observed it. It had a carving of a tree. He then remembered something.   
  
"Sis!" He cried out and galloped into the bushes Vela landed in. She was laying on the ground, out cold, on her side. Juno was in shock. He quietly went over to her, knelt down and shook her.   
  
"Vela?" He asked, "Sis? You OK?" She didn't respond. He gently turned her over onto her back and cradled her in his arms.   
  
"Please, sis. Don't die on me here. I need you too much." He was on the verge of tears. Lupus walked over to them. He whinned a little and licked Vela's face.   
  
As Babylon and Rainer came to see what was going to, Vela started to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Juno. Once Juno realized she was awake he hugged her tightly.   
  
"Vela! Thank God you're alive!" He sobbed.   
  
"Juno, I wasn't hit that hard." Vela groaned.   
  
"Don't you ever do anything like that again! You scared the shit out of me!"   
  
"Alright, if I have to." Juno helpped her back onto his back.   
  
"Well, now that this touching sibling moment is over, we should get back to finding the river." Babylon told them. He looked around, "Rickeena?" He looked around some more. Rickeena was nowhere to be found.   
  
"Strange." Rainer muttered. Then, he pricked his ears. He heard something. Like the sound of moving water. He followed the noise to it's source: a steady and very wide river.   
  
"Well, here we are." Babylon said. He then searched around and found a large boat. He put it on the water and tied the raft to a tree.   
  
After standing on it to test it, he told them, "It's steady enough. You guys can come on." Rainer carefully stepped on. Then Lupus, and then Vela slipped on.   
  
"OK, here we go!" Babylon shouted. The burly cat creature exposed his claws and sliced the boat free. It floated down the river.   
  
Rainer took out his communication lens and activated it to talk to King Jeff. Babylon sat down next to Juno and said, "Those were some pretty good fighting tactics, kid. You still have a lot to learn, but your getting there."   
  
Juno pulled out the strange ammulet and looked it over. "What do you think this is, Babylon?"   
  
"I'm not sure, kid. I've been around, and I've never seen anything like that. You may want to hold onto it, though.   
  
Suddenly, Babylon's ears twitched. Rainer had just gotten finished talking, put the lens away and did the same thing. The sound of the river had just changed dramaticly. It sounded faster and more violent in the distance. Babylon suddenly gulped.   
  
"Better hang on!" He shouted.   
  
  
Jeff disabled the spell and looked to the others.   
  
"What did they say?" Floyd asked.   
  
"There was a small fight, but it was settled." He answered, "But, they seemed to be running into something on the river. Rainer seemed pretty nervous. He just told me he would talk to me later and then left."   
  
  
  
The boat suddenly started rocking violently. They had just come across the rapids on the river. Everyone fought to control the boat or just stay on. As Vela clung onto the side of the boat, she suddenly was flung out by a strong jerk. Juno and Lupus both reached out and grabbed her. It was a hard fight, but they eventually pulled her in.   
  
Rainer happened to look over at something on the bank...and the fact that the boat was heading straight for it.   
  
"EVERYONE HOLD ON!!!" He shouted. Suddenly, the boat crashed into the shore.   
  
  
  
Vela began to come to and found herself laying in shallow water next to the shore. She slowly brought her head up and looked around, thankful to find that everyone, made it. She looked up and got a sudden shock. She crawled over to her unconssious brother and shook him.   
  
He woke up and groaned, "Vela, what the.....Ho...ly...shit..."   
  
To Be Continued....


	5. And Through The Woods

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 5: ...And Through the Woods  
  
"Oh my God." Vela whispered. The area they'd washed up next to reminded them of Tawfret, except not as water logged. The ground was barren, due to lack of sunlight. The trees, which were about as tall as skyscrapers, were equally dark and barren. The area was extremly cloudy and foggy. What caught their attention the most was how sinister the area looked.  
  
Everyone awakened and gazed at the frightening sight. As Rainer watched on, he looked the scenery over and mused, "Hmmm...grey demons...clouds on the ground...I think this is where Rickeena wanted us to go."  
  
"Are you really sure she was talking about this?" Juno asked, unsure about going into the forest. He was answered by an arrow suddenly hitting a tree. Babylon pulled out the arrow and untied the note tied to it.  
  
"Greetings. Welcome to the Forest of Mirage." It read, "This is a place that many a traveler dreads nearing. It is because here, nothing is as it appears. Anyone could easily be tricked, hurt, or killed by a loved one. In order to discover one's true intentions, you must gaze into their soul through their glare."  
  
"Yep, she wants us here." Babylon answered. They started setting off into the forest. Juno slid Vela onto his back before going. The forest proved to be even more terrifying than Juno imagined. It was dark and sinister. It actually seemed to get worse as they delved farther into it. He started hearing the branches above creak, as though they had some kind of weight. He turned in the noise's direction in fright. However, there wasn't anything there make that noise.  
  
"Juno, relax." Vela told him.  
  
"But you heard what Rickeena said!"  
  
"Juno, there isn't anyone else here. You're letting your imagination go crazy."  
  
"I don't know. I keep getting the idea we're being watched."  
  
"We're not being watched. Trust me."  
  
  
  
Little did she know that they really were being watched. A shadowy animal, pearched on a tree, watched them intently. It looked like the shadow of a cheetah with red eyes. It crouched on the limb and narrowed it's eyes at them. It's long tail swung back and forth. It just sat silently, eyeing them. Then, it swiftly jumped from the limb.   
  
  
  
"What was that?!" Juno started.  
  
"Just a tree branch." Vela told him.  
  
Now, Juno was at his wits end. This was all getting too creepy for him. Suddenly, he heard a footfall. He turned around quickly to face whatever it was, nearly throwing Vela.  
  
"Juno, what the hell?!"  
  
"Sorry." He was surprised to find a baby unicorn standing near some bushes. The creature cocked it's head innocently at him, wagging it's lion-like tail. The others came over to investigate.  
  
"See? You were freaking out over this." Vela commented, sliding of his back. She slowly crawled over to it.  
  
"Hi, baby." She said sweetly, "What's a sweet little thing like you doing so far away from your mother?"  
  
"Be careful, sis." Juno warned her.  
  
She stroked it and said, "It's just a baby. What harm can it possibley do?"   
  
Lupus approached carefully. As he got close, he started getting a whiff of something. Something bad. He came close to the baby unicorn. It faced him. He suddenly remembered Rickeena's warning. What unicorn would have blood red eyes?! He started barking at it. It cocked it's head at him. He growled and barked some more.   
  
"Lupus, don't do that. You'll scare it away." Vela told him. Lupus ignored this. He had to get this thing away from Vela. He kept barking at it. It finally turned and faced him. It pawed the ground and snorted a little. However, Lupus was unphased. Then, it let out a sudden, angry hiss. This effectivly shocked everyone.  
  
"Sure never heard it make that kind of noise." Juno gasped.  
  
"Me neither." Babylon agreed, "And they live right next to the house!" The unicorn suddenly started glowing. Everyone backed away, Lupus allowing Vela to grab onto him as he dragged her away. As it glowed, it turned black. Then, it shifted into it's cheetah form.  
  
"Oh...shit." Vela muttered. The cat growled at her. It stalked closer to her, red eyes glaring at her. Lupus stood between it and Vela, fangs bared. They stood off like that for what seemed like hours. Lupus fanned his wings out in an attempt to look bigger. The cat lunged at him. He was soon surprised, however, when he lunged over him and pounced on Vela. Lupus quickly turned around and bit the creature in the back of the neck. It threw him off, but he managed to land on his feet.  
  
Suddenly, Lupus noticed something sticking in a rock next to him. He grabbed it and pulled it out, realising it was a spear. He rushed back at the animal, spear in mouth. He rushed by and threw his head to the side . He managed to jam it in the creature's chest. It was weakened, but it didn't fall. It pulled out the spear and spat it out off to the side. It then started shifting shape again. Lupus braced himself.  
  
It changed itself into a large snake and suddenly lunged at Lupus. It wrapped around him. He, in turn, grabbed a hold of it's tail. Little did the creature know where the spear landed. It happened to land right next to Vela. She grabbed the spear.  
  
"Hey, dipshit!" She shouted. The creature looked up, "Think fast!" She threw the spear. With both luck and skill, it nailed the creature in the head. It then simply disappeared. Around Lupus's neck, it left a medallion similar to the one Alpha left behind. This time, it had a purple ribbon and a star engraved on it.  
  
Juno took the medallion and said, "This has to mean something. They keep appearing every time we beat someone."  
  
"Maybe we'll find out when we reach Crozen." Rainer suggested. Suddenly, he started catching a whiff of something. He sniffed a little more.  
  
"What is it?" Babylon asked.  
  
"Salt water." He said, "That can only mean one thing. Hey, here's a path!" Rainer rushed down a path with green grass on either side. As they followed him, the trees started getting leaves. A sure sign they were reaching the end of the Forest of Mirage.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	6. High Tide

*Author's Note: I'm not sure if I said this before but, I got the name for the traveling prophet from my mom. She's got the sam name, but it's just spelled a little differently.  
  
Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 6: High Tide  
  
"Rainer, wait a minute!" Babylon yelled. As they ran further up the path, they began to hear sounds. Voices and music and sounds that might be heard in a market or village. When Rainer finally stopped, they found themselves in a kind of sea port.   
  
"Port Magellion." Rainer muttered with a smile, "Nice to be back on my own home soil." The twins looked around as Babylon pointed out various parts of the scenery. The port was located on the shores of a large lake named Tilidi Lake. They could see something in the distance, which was a large island.  
  
They looked out at the island for a while. Vela looked over at Babylon and asked, "Have any idea what's over there?"  
  
"Not really. I'm not really a sea cat. I've never been here that often."  
  
Suddenly, some familiar guitar music caught Juno's ear. Everyone else bagan to hear it. The looked in it's direction and noticed a large crowd of assorted creatures and people gathered around something. Juno go tup on his hind legs a little to try and see above the crowd. He soon saw what was going on. This crowd of people were enjoying some music from Rickeena's guitar.  
  
Juno couldn't hold himself up like that for long, however. Between his own weight and the weight of his sister on his back, he almost tumbled over, but was able to land on his feet. Just about then, they heard a round of clapping and cheering. Rickeena stepped out of the crowd and turned around, bowing to them, before they left and went about their bussiness.  
  
"Hello, friends." She greeted, "I see you escaped from the Shuladus."  
  
"Who?" Vela asked.  
  
"Shuladus. The shadow cat. He's very crafty. I feared you might not get past him."  
  
"Do you know where we should be going next?"   
  
"I'm afraid an evil force was clouding my visions last night. I was unable to find out much except that it has something to do with the island out in the lake."  
  
Babylon looked back out at the lake and said, "Looks like we'll be finding out about that island soon enough."  
  
"Say, Rickeena?" Vela asked.  
  
"Yes?" Rickeena asked, putting her guitar onto her back.  
  
"Listen, instead of you disappearing without a trace and us having to hunt you down, let's try this. Why don't you come with us?"  
  
"Come...with you?"  
  
"Yeah, we need all the help we can get. Plus, you said this Crozen guy has some serious grudges against you, right?"  
  
"Yes, I did say that."  
  
"So, if you're with us and he makes a move against you, we can help."  
  
Rickeena looked down, a little nervous, "Oh, I don't want to slow any of you down..."  
  
"The more the merrier." Babylon said. With everyone agreeing and asking her to come, Rickeena found herself unable to refuse. Besides, her travels were wearing her down. She could use the company.  
  
"Alright," She sighed, starting to smile, "if you really beleive it is wise for me to join you, I will."  
  
"Great!" Vwla said, patting her on the back, "Welcome to our happy little group." Thjere was a small cheer, which caused Rickeena to blush.   
  
"Now," Juno said, looking out at the lake, "We need to get to that island." Suddenly, Rainer ran out at the docks.  
  
"I wonder if any of the ship captians are heading out that way." He said. There were several large ships docked at the market. Rainer walked up to one ship, which had it's captian leaning off the side closest to the dock, talking to his crewmate.  
  
"Excuse me," Rainer called, "My friends and I were hoping you could take us to that island out there." The captian turned to face him. His upper body was human while his lower was a snake's tail.  
  
As he turned he replied, "Well, I'm not sure. The last time I...Rainer! Rainer, old pal! Where have you been?!"  
  
"Huh?! Tristan!" The captian tied his tail around a railing on the side of the ship and hung down in front of Rainer.  
  
"Rainer, me boy! Where were you all this time!?"  
  
"Out in the forest. But, Crozen's troops chased us out."  
  
"Us? You're not alone, I take it."  
  
"Hold on a minute." He ran back to the group and said, "Don't worry, everyone. He's an old friend of mine. He'll help us."  
  
  
  
"I don't know why any of you would really want to go there." Tristan asked his guests, after inviting them below deck.  
  
"Believe me," Rickeena said, "We need to get there."  
  
"Well, you better get your guard up. Something is wrong over there. So far, just about everyone that goes there runs into some kind of trouble."  
  
"What kind of trouble?" Juno asked, his equine tail flicking a little in interst.  
  
"You might not believe some of the stories. One ship went out there and came back with it's mast ripped to shreads. Another had the mast smashed off completely! Another had holes ripped in the side. And a bunch simply diappeared without a trace." He paused a little, as he questioned if he should really do as they requested and bring them to the mysterious cursed island. Then, he sighed a bit and said, "But, if you really need to go, I'll take you."  
  
"Thanks, Tristan." Rainer said, "This could be very important. Do you think we can go now or is it a bad time?"  
  
Tristan chuckled a little and replied, "Might be a little late right now. We can go first thing tommorow, though."   
  
Everyone went up the stairs to the deck. Tristan made his way up behind everyone, saying to himself, "I haven't had a good thrill in a while anyway. This could be good."  
  
  
"Okay, everyone, hold onto your hats!" Tristan yelled as he undid the sail, "The wind really picks up this time of year!" They decided to rest for the day and were now on their way early in the morning. He pulled on the rope to release the sail. It flared up fully in the wind and jolted the ship foward towards the island.  
  
The ship went on a steady pace straight to the island, thanks to the strong wind. Vela was enjoying every minute of this trip. She sat at the side of the ship, looking out at the sea, her dolphin tail flicking every once in a while. Lupus would sit loyaly by her side. He always seemed to be more attatched to Vela than anyone else. Vela looked over at Lupus. This was certianly a new angle for her. Right now, Lupus was an inch or two taller than she was. She was also used to seeing him with his ears done up in armor. Not flopping at the side of his head.   
  
As she was looking at him, he happened to look back over. She smiled a little at him. He responded with a playful bark and a big, sloppy kiss.  
  
"Lupus!" Juno called. He was trying to walk over to them, but his hooves were very unsteady on the ship's deck as it made it's way through the water. Lupus came up to him and tried to jump up onto his shoulders to give him a kiss. But, as unsteady as he was, he toppled over, with Lupus laying on his chest.  
  
Vela giggled a little bit and giggled, "A man and his dog."  
  
"Lupus." He said. Lupus looked down, his ears perked foward, "Would you mind getting off?"  
  
Vela couldn't hold back her laughter as Lupus jumped off, winding Juno as he jammed his paws into his stomach in the process. Juno stumbled to his feet, and gave Vela an annoyed look.  
  
"Well, YOU don't have problems like this." He commented. Vela shot a look at him, narrowing her eyes, put her hands on her hips and flapped her tail against the deck.   
  
"At least you can walk." Vela answered.   
  
The small argument was interupted by a strange sound. It was like a strange horn being sounded. It was followed by shrill whistles and war calls. Rickeena, who had been up in the crow's nest, looked out at the horizon.  
  
"There's a flock of shadowy creatures coming!" She screamed.  
  
"Oh no." Tristan muttered, "It can't be."  
  
Suddenly, a strange creature divebombed Juno, knocking him onto his side. As he struggled to his hooves, he got a look at his attacker. He was almost like a human, except his bottom half was that of a bird and he had bird's wings.  
  
The creature whipped out a fighting staff and demanded, "Surrender or die, horse!"  
  
When this only produced an odd look from Juno, he got ready to strike. But, Juno quickly kicked him off the side of the ship. But, rather than falling into the ocean below, he flew back up at the last minute.  
  
"What the hell are these?!" Vela shouted.  
  
"Sirens!" Tristan replied, getting ready to fight them, "Scurge of anyone who travels by ocean." No sooner did he finish explaining this, a whole group of about half a dozen Sirens decended on the ship. Once they landed, they didn't fight, but just stood, weapons ready. Suddenly, the strange horn sounded again. Another Siren, a little taller and a bit more intimidating landed in the middle of the deck. It was a female, with long blonde hair and a black shirt that looked ripped and torn. Her bird parts had some resemblance to a hawk. She looked around, as though sizing up the ship.  
  
"Looks like you people don't seem to be getting the message." She mumbled, "Stay out means stay out!"  
  
"Who died and made you queen of the ocean, bitch?" Vela snapped.  
  
The Siren snapped her head around and saw Vela. She gave an angry glare and walked over to her. She came face-to-face with Vela.  
  
"What did you call me, you little loud mouth?" She growled.  
  
"First, what's your name?"  
  
"Selena."  
  
"Well, Selena, since your going deaf too, I called you a bitch and asked who died and made you queen of the ocean."  
  
Selena sneered at her, "Little fresh mouth. Well, see that island over there?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Well, I have strick orders from my master to keep people away from there. So, your all gonna have to turn this thing around and get lost!"  
  
Vela gave her a look. In response, Selena, without warning, hit Vela across the face. She, apparently, had claws on her hands, which left small marks across Vela's face. She recovered and looked up at her.  
  
"Oh yeah, that really hurt." Vela almost laughed. Selena had had enough. She pulled out a knife and raised it above her hand. This immediatly set off Lupus. She rushed at her and bit her in the wing. Selena let out a scream then looked over at Lupus.  
  
"Why you God damn son of a bitch!" She screamed. Lupus snarled at her, showing a set of sharp teeth, "I'll teach you to snarl at me!"  
  
Lupus was completely unphased. His fur started standing on end, his wings flared out and his teeth still showed. Selena turned to face him. In the meantime, Vela happened to notice the sword on Selena's belt. She slowly edged over to her and carefully put her hand over the handle. She then pulled it out as slowly as she possibly could.  
  
As she tried to threaten the angry dog with the knife, Selena noticed that her sheath was a lot lighter than usual suddenly. She turned around and caught Vela, with her blade. Selena's pacince was wearing thin.  
  
Vela got even more courage knowing she was now armed, possibly better, than her opponent. She kept a tight grip on the sword and called, "If your so bad, bring it on!"   
  
Selena wasted no time responding to this. She turned to the other Sirens and ordered, "You all go and check for any other smart alecks! The bitch is mine!"  
  
The Sirens obeyed and flew off in different directions. Selena and Vela stared each other down for a while. Then, Selena suddenly darted foward, hitting Vela off the side of the boat. She spashed into the water below. Selena flew back up and hover about eight feet above the water.  
  
Juno was in a rage. His hooves were stomping against the deck. Realising what he was thinking of, Babylon pulled out a fighting staff and handed it to him. Juno looked at it, then looked up at Babylon.  
  
"If you're seriously gonna fight her," Babylon answered, "you'll want to use this. She's a tough bitch. Keep in mind, you've got claws to deal with, too."  
  
Juno took the staff and slowly went over to the other side of the boat. He turned to Lupus and whispered, "Cover me, buddy."  
  
Lupus gave a low growl and followed him. Selena continued to hover over the spot where Vela fell into the water. He could make out a shadow moving in the water below.  
  
"I know your awake down there, you little bitch!" She shouted, "I see ya moving down there! Get up here and face your doom like a-!"  
  
She stopped when she suddenly heard a clopping sound behind her. She shot around and muttered, "You too, eh?"  
  
Juno charged foward and gave her a smack with the fighting staff. In an obvious rage, she darted at him, talons ready. They tussled and fought like that for what seemed like hours. But, it was only a few minutes. The two were, eventually, near a pile of crates. Selena happened to fly up and knock the entire pile on Juno, knocking him over and dazing him. As he looked up, she landed on the deck next to him, knife in hand.  
  
"You're gonna be sorry you ever crossed me, lad." She growled. Suddenly, there was the sound of something wet climbing onto the ship.  
  
"Hey, over here!" A voice shouted. They turned and noticed Vela hanging off the side of the ship, sword in hand.  
  
Selena was fed up with dealing with her. She turned to dart at her. As she was heading for her, Vela screamed, "Juno, catch!" and threw the sword to him. He caught it, ran for Selena and closed his eyes s he swung it. He stood there for a while, his eyes still closed.  
  
"All right, Bro!" Vela shouted. He opened his eyes to find a bronze medallion, on a blue ribbon with a water drop carved on it, hanging off the sword. He took it off and looked at it.  
  
"I swear to God, these things are gonna have something to do with Crozen." Juno muttered.  
  
"Your puzzle may be answered soon enough!" Rickeena shouted from the crow's nest, "The island's straight ahead!"  
  
To Be Continued... 


	7. Hidden Dragon

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 7: Hidden Dragon  
  
"Alright, all ashore who's going ashore! Watch your step!" Tristan shouted, as his passengers disembarked. Juno had Vela on his back again. This form of transportation was starting to get on her nerves. She was basiclly dependent upon Juno, something that she would prefer to avoid.  
  
"Juno, just let me get around on my own for a little bit!" She pleaded.  
  
"Vela, remember?" He replied. Vela then realized he was refering to her tail. Vela flicked it in frustration, then layed down against Juno and tried to get used to the ride.  
  
The area they landed on was a rocky shore. The edge of the sandly beach was surrounded by a rocky cliff, which had a path cutting through, likely to aid travelers so they didn't have to try climbing over the cliff.  
  
"Looks like theirs only one way to go from here." Babylon told them. One by one, they made their way up the path. At first, the path was reletivly safe, with walls on either side. However, this changed soon. As they were walking, they suddenly came to a part of the path where there was only a wall on one side. Rainer stopped everyone. He then carefully peered over the side of the path and discovered a good drop, over ten miles, for anyone unlucky enough to fall off the path. Luckily, the path also widened quite a bit.  
  
Babylon just snorted a bit and said, "Watch your footing."  
  
As they walked along the path, Vela happened to notice Rickeena, walking beside her. She gentley tapped her on the shoulder with her tail and got her attention. She asked, "So, did you get any other clues?"  
  
"Yes, but it's a small one." She replied, "The only clue I could get came to me last night while I was sleeping. It was a stone dragon."  
  
Vela gulped a little bit. She remembered the fact that, just to their side, was a fatal fall. She commented, "I think this is the last place we want to meet one of those."  
  
"Don't worry. I don't beleive it's really possible for a dragon to fly with stone wings or a stone body."  
  
"Yeah, you'd imagine it would get a little heavy." Vela was trying to reassure herself. Lately, she'd seen a lot of things she thought never existed. Centaurs, talking dogs, winged dogs, mermaids, unicorns, sirens, shadow animals. Those were just a few animals she saw here, even turned into one, that she thought only lived in fairy tales and old bedtime stories her folks told her when she was a kid. Now, she was basiclly living in one of those stories.  
  
Lupus trotted besdie Juno so he could be closer to Vela. Still nervous about the idea of running into a 'stone dragon', she patted him on the head. As they made their way down the path, the other wall also was gone, leaving them an unprotected, windy but wide path. Juno was fighting the wind off while trying to keep a tight grip of Vela's arm. Rainer looked ahead and noticed the walls reappearing on the path ahead.  
  
Rainer turned around and screamed as loud as he could, to be heard above the wind, "IF WE CAN GET TO THOSE WALLS, WE'RE HOME FREE!"  
  
Rainer made a mad dash for the walls. It was a long, hard run, with the wind making it even worse, but he got across. Babylon made a sprint, carrying Rickeena since he thought she would be too light weight to stand up to the gail force winds. He needed to fold his wings to his sides as he rushed to the other side.  
  
"Hang on, Sis!" Juno shouted. He backed up a few steps, then sprinted as fast as he could across the path. Despite the wind, he covered good ground with his horse legs. Between her brother's race horse speed and the gale force wind, Vela was fighting to hang on. Lupus rushed behind them. Like Babylon, he needed to fold his wings up to keep from getting blown off. Just as Juno got to the walls, the wind suddenly shifted. Now blowing into the small canyon made by the reappearing walls, Lupus shot his wings up in surprise. As a result, they caught the wind and blew him into the group, knocking over Juno and spilling Vela onto the ground.  
  
"What the?" Vela muttered. Juno's hooves clopped against the stone path as he staggered to his feet. Vela sat herself up as Lupus came to her and licked her face.  
  
"That's some weather, eh boy?" She said, scratching him behind the ear." Juno picked her up and slipped her onto his back.  
  
"Now, do you really think you would have stood a chance if I wasn't there?" Juno asked.   
  
Vela groaned, realising he was bringing up her comment about wanting a little more indepenence and said, "Forget about that, alright?"  
  
"Alright, let's get back on track." Rainer told them, "Alright, what were we looking for again, Rickeena? Um, Rickeena?" Rickeena was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Uh-oh." Rainer stuttered, "This isn't good." Everyone assumed the worst. That she'd been captured or had wandered to far and was now lost in a bad situation. Suddenly, they heard a scream. Rainer perked his ears and managed to pin point where it came from. He ran in the direction of the scream, the others close behind.  
  
They found Rickeena, standing in a clear area about ten feet away from where she'd first disappeared. She was standing stiff in fear, pointing her fighting staff at something. As they approached, they noticed her calm down and replace the fighting staff into the strap on her back and look at what she was about the fight.  
  
"Rickeena!" Babylon shouted. She looked at him, then suhered them to come over to where she was standing. They did as she told them and Babylon asked, "Alright, what did you want to show us?"  
  
She took her staff out again and pointed it up at a structure to the right. It was a cave. The opening resembled the head of a giant stone dragon with it's mouth gaping open. In it's eyes were two firey red stones.  
  
She smirked to them and said, "The stone dragon."  
  
As they were about to go in, they suddenly heard strange noises coming from the cave. Juno took out the spear he'd saved from the Forest of Mirage as Vela took out the sword from earlier.  
  
"Well, sounds like someone in there might be expecting company."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	8. Underground

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 8: Underground  
  
As they made their way through the cavern, it became darker and darker. It got to the point where no one could see their hand in front of their face. After a while, Babylon pulled out a branch he'd gotten outside and said, "You're a magician, right?"  
  
"Right?"  
  
"So," He handed him the branch, "Think you can help shed some light on this situation." Rainer looked at the branch. His eyes glowed red and a flame appeared on the stick.  
  
"Thanks." Babylon said as he walked ahead of them. They were walking on a downward slope that had a low ceiling with a few stalagitites every so often. It was basiclly a typical cave, stalagtites and stalagmites, the sounds of dripping water almost dominating everything else, a few loose rocks here and there. Juno found it difficult to travel through the tunnel. His hooves were making it hard to get a footing on anything. It didn't help that the floor also had a thin layer of mud on it, thanks to the dripping from the ceiling. It was also too dark to see the loose stones on the floor. He stumbled a few times, but was either caught by Lupus or Babylon.  
  
"Nothing personal," Juno said, "But the sooner I get back home and change back, the better."  
  
"Ditto." Vela sighed, "I'm getting home sick."  
  
Lupus was about the whimper in agreement when a loud howl suddenly erupted through the cavern. Vela listened a little closer, and noticed that it seemed to be a cross between a howl and a roar. She commented, "Sounds like we aren't the only ones having a shitty time down here."  
  
"And if that's who I think it is," Rainer started, "we're going to have quite a mess on our hands." He shook a little then continued foward with the others following him. As they got further down the path, it finally opened up. It was a very big, with stalagtites and stalagmites covering it. There was the sound of dripping water, as well as moving water, suggesting that a river or lake was nearby.   
  
Everyone started getting their weapons ready. This cave was also typical for dragons and other monsters to make their homes; a very good incentive to have a weapon ready. Juno couldn't help but notice the other sound that seemed almost constant: a strange sound that almost seemed like breathing.  
  
"Hey, bro." Vela whispered, "It's this what usually happens before someone gets attacked by a dragon or something?"  
  
"If it's in here, don't give it ideas." Juno whispered back. He happened to feel Vela shivering a little on his back and added, "Whatever lives in here must be pretty tolerant."  
  
Out of all of them, Rickeena seemed to be more nervous. Her gaze darted around the room, as though she were waiting for something. Vela tapped her on the shoulder, causeing her to jump a little. Vela asked, "Something wrong?"  
  
"Well, my grandfather was killed by Alpha in a situation just like this. A dark area where it is easy for someone to hide."  
  
"Alpha's long gone. Don't worry."  
  
"But, I also heard a legend about a demon wolf that lived in this cave. Legend has it it breaths fire and smoke and destroys any living soul who dares set foot into it's dwelling."  
  
"Guess that guy learned the hard way." Vela commented, pointing at something next to a boulder. Babylon went to see what Vela found...and was shocked along with everyone else.  
  
A skeleton. It was burnt black and was wearing a burnt helmet and chest plate. Even from the burns, they could see that it's feet were actually hooves. Juno struggled to back away. Meanwhile, Rickeena happened to notice a bow and a full quiver of arrows nearby, as well as a shield. She picked them up and noticed that they were in good shape.  
  
"Say, Juno, didn't you use a bow and arrow once at our grandpa's house?" Vela asked.  
  
"Yeah, wasn't helf bad, either." He said, "Not exactly Robin Hood himself, though."  
  
Rickeena handed him the bow and quiver and said, "Maybe you could still make use of them."  
  
As Juno slipped the quiver on and tried to figure out how to put on the shield, Vela commented, "Yeah, that guy sure isn't going to."  
  
"Vela, that was just plain rude!" Juno scolded her, "Don't make jokes about dead people like that!"  
  
"Sorry. It's just to take the depression out of it. If we didn't tell a joke here and there after our parents died, we'd both be wreaks."  
  
Before the discussion could continue, there was a sudden roar. As the group ventured further into the cave, they discovered a large underground lake. On the other side, near a natural bridge that went over the lake, was a cave, that seemed to have air coming from it. Everyone was clearly nervous, between a few gulps and some shaking. Juno decided to try and take a few quiet steps foward, but the clopping of his hooves made stealth difficult.   
  
There was a loud roar from the cave, enforcing the idea. Suddenly, a giant, red flash darted at them. They scattered, Juno accidently dropping Vela in the process. Upon realizing he dropped her, Juno was about to go back, when the creature stopped in front of her and they all got a good look at it.   
  
Vela looked up at it in shock. It looked like a red German Shepherd, but about as big as an elephant. It had devil horns, a harpoon end on it's tail, two saber teeth and a dragon-like ridge along it's back. It stared at Vela with yellow, cat-like eyes, growling. She quickly held the sword out and said, "Just try it, pal!"  
  
The animal glared at her. She kept the sword up, not really sure what else she should be doing. Suddenly, it lunged foward and Vela desperately flung herself into the lake to avoid it. It looked back at the lake and growled even louder, turning around and searching the lake. However, it didn't seem to have any intention of actually going in after Vela.  
  
Juno then began thinking of something. He quickly pulled out the bow and aimed an arrow at the back of it's head. When it hit, it let out a high-pitched howl and spun around to face him. It's eyes started to glow and Juno's mind started to click on him again.  
  
'The shield, damnit, the shield!' He quicly pulled the shield off and held it up just as the creature unleashed a breath of fire at him. As he continued to hold the shield up, it started getting warmer and warmer, but he kept trying to tell himself that, sooner or later, the thing would run out of breath. Finally, it stopped. Juno looked up and noticed something that he didn't notice before. A red jewel, located right between it's eyes. As it was catching it's breath, Juno quickly fumbled with the bow and arrow and shot an arrow up at the jewel. It reared up and howled in rage and pain. Suddenly, it started to fall backwards anmd tumbled into the lake. However, it happened to hit Juno with a flailing paw and knocked him out cold against the rock wall.  
  
Steam rose from the lake, so much that it made it difficult to see in the cave. After the steam finally settled down, Juno immediatly started worrying about Vela. He saw her go into the lake when the thing tried to lunge at her. But, he was worried that it might have fallen on her when it took the swim and hurt her.   
  
Suddenly, something broke the surface of the water. It was Vela, with another amulet in her hand. This one had a red ribbon and a flame carved onto it. She swam over to the group as they came to the edge and showed them the amulet.  
  
"I swear to God," She told them, "This whole mess so much like those Legend of Zelda games that Halley plays. What is it, you kill a monster and it drops something?"  
  
Juno got her onto his back as he replied, "I think that's how it worked."  
  
"Well, if that's the case, we'd better hold onto these things. They might be some key or something with this Crozen guy."  
  
Rainer, meanwhile, had been peeking through the cave that the demon dog had come from. He came back to the others and said, "I think that's the way out. Hurry!"  
  
  
  
The armored werewolf slunk into Crozen's inner sanctum, located in a huge tower of his fortress. Though he'd served him even before the begining of his reign, he'd never actually seen what he looked like. All he ever saw of him was the figure he was kneeling before now. A shadowy figure in a plain brown robe that dragged to the floor. He couldn't even see his face of hands, since his sleeves were usually tucked together.  
  
"Your highness." He said, hoping Crozen would have mercy and not throw him out the tower window and into the moat for bringing the report.  
  
"Yes?" Crozen asked, staring out the window.  
  
"Um..the rebels...they got through the caves and are, as we speak, coming to the valley." He hesitated a bit between parts.  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"I'm afraid it is."  
  
"Well...I suppose it is time to see if Phantom is any more successful than the others. Go back to your post."  
  
There wasn't a word in his language that could have expressed his gratitude, except, "Yes, sire. Thank you." Then, he left.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	9. Shocking Discoveries

Might and Magic  
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 9: Shocking Discoveries  
  
"Let's see what our friend was so protective over." Rickeena suggested. One by one, with Rainer in front, they walked into the gave the demon hound had once occupied. What some of them had expected was just a dead end with some kind of surprise in it. What they got was a long tunnel that, after about ten feet, turned into an uphill climb. Much to Juno's relief, this path wasn't as wet and slippery as the path they taken into the cave system.   
  
As they walked futher through the tunnel, they became aware of the strange noise, coming from futher up the tunnel. It sounded like an unusual cross between an eagle's cry, a horse's neigh and another strange, high-pitched sound that sounded like a noise a dragon might make. Rainer signaled with his head for them to follow him. The only way to find out what was making the noise was to follow it and see for themselves. What they found was a pleasent surprise.  
  
"Sun Wind!" Rainer shouted. Sun Wind was standing in the middle of the tunnel, a rope tied around her neck stuck on some rocks. Babylone, got the rope off of her neck.   
  
"What happened to you, girl?" He asked. Sun Wind made a few strange, purring noises. Vela was convinced a vocalulary easily covered the whole animal kingdom.   
  
Babylon listened intently to what everyone guessed was her story. Babylon turned to them and translated it. He told them, "They got Tobias but she got away."  
  
"So, chances are, wherever Crozen is, he probably has Tobias with him." Juno reasoned. Rainer nodded. Suddenly, there was a glow coming from the bag hanging from his side. He craned his neck around to reach into it and pulled out the messanger glass he'd used before.  
  
"I guess Jeff is getting worried."  
  
  
  
"Rainer, we haven't heard from you for a while. What on Earth happened to you?" Jeff asked.  
  
"We've been busy." The transparent image of Rainer answered, "You wouldn't believe the stories we have to tell you."  
  
"Why don't you just try and summerize it for us."  
  
"A shadow cat. Siren pirates. A demon dog."  
  
"That bad, eh?"  
  
"Well, we're just getting out of the caves. If my sense of direction is correct, we should be near the Tulin Plains. Crozen, from what I've heard, set his fortress here. We can go through the plains and- oh my GOD!"  
  
"Rainer, what is it?"  
  
"You wouldn't beleive me if I told you..."  
  
  
  
The Tulin Plains were a disaster area. Rainer, Babylon, Rickeena and Sun Wind never imagined it like this. They remembered the plains as a lush, green, beautiful grassland. This was a wasteland.  
  
The entire area was completely dark and destroyed. The bare ground was covered in dead grass and dark earth. Trees were barren, broken, burned, or simply toppled over. The sky was a dark grey and cloudy. One thing that the twins just couldn't ge tover was the noise. Silent, by all means there should have, at the very least, been a crow or buzzard squawking. But, there was absolutly nothing.  
  
"Holy shit, what happened?" Vela asked. Juno had the same thing to ask, but he was so shocked, the question stuck in his throat.  
  
Sun Wind made a few noises to Babylon. He turned to them and said, "Crozen. At least, that's what she thinks. She heard a story that said he lost his temper and destroyed the entire area."  
  
"And you think MY temper's bad." Vela commented to Juno. Juno, however, still didn't hear it. He couldn't beleive this. Crozen destroyed the entire area, along with possibley hundreds of lives, in the blink of an eye. And all because of a rotton temper. It reminded him of someone he knew...a certian space bug...  
  
"Bro?" Vela asked, shaking his shoulder. He shook his head and looked back at her.  
  
"Why don't we find this Crozen bastard and kick his sorry ass for this." She said, with a smirk.  
  
Juno smirked back, stomping a hoof before the walked into the ruined plains.   
  
To Be Continued... 


	10. No Man's Land

Might and Magic   
  
By Sammie Spitz  
  
Chapter 10: No Man's Land  
  
The group carefully walked through the now destroyed plains. There was no telling what else happened. Plus, chances were, since the area was so close to his lair, Crozen probably had guards out in some way, shape or form. And, knowing the kind of things he seemed to go for, the last thing they wanyed was to be caught off guard.  
  
The area was definately getting to Vela. As she got a closer look around, her feeling toward the place got even worse. She thought she kept hearing rustling noises, snorts and grunts. And, she was suddenly made nervous by the hoofprints on the ground. All of them belonged to deer. Either someone suddenly decided they had a SERIOUS hatred for deer, killed them all and left or...no, it couldn't...could it?  
  
There was another sudden rustling nearby. Then, it was followed by a high-pitched squeal. Everyone immediatly stopped and looked around for the source. Vela was a nervous wreak. Juno, hearing her make a few noises of fright, asked, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Saw deer hoofprints all over the place. Either someone has a serious feud with them..or.."  
  
"Or what?" Rainer asked.  
  
"Or we're dealing with some deer that were sick of being vegitarians."  
  
Suddenly, the rustling got louder. Without warning, a dozen or so dark figures came flying out of what was left of some bushes. In the confusion, Vela accidently fell off Juno. When it was all over and everything had settled down somewhat, Vela was surrounded by something she hadn't even wanted to think about.  
  
They were deer, alright. But not deer she was used to seeing. They were jet black, with red eyes that stared at her with an obvious intent to kill. The stags had dark grey antlers, but the does still looked just as intimidating. They had her surrounded and were making low growling noises. These animals probably used to be the type of deer she was used to seeing. But, now, they were a far cry from that. Now, they were just another animal in this place, hell-bent on killing.  
  
For a while, her mind pulled a blank. Then, she mentally cursed herself, 'The sword, you jackass! Nevermind looking at them, get out the damn sword!'  
  
She quickly yanked out the sword and pointed it at the buck that had it's snout only inches from her. It pulled it's head up to avoid being hit by the blade and backed up about a foot. Then, it continued growling at her. But, being surrounded, she didn't seem to notice a doe sneaking up behind her.  
  
She heard a sudden growl behind her, but a familiar one this time. She turned around just in time to see Lupus lunge toward the deer that were getting ready to attack. The others followed. The deer started scattering. Another doe tried to make a run at her, but she slashed it in the side with her sword. But, when the deer landed, the wound glowed for a second, than healed.  
  
"Oh, shit." She muttered to herself. These were obviously no garden-variety deer she was dealing with. Of course, their blood lust was a pretty good clue, as well. The deer stared back at her, turned around and rushed at her again. Vela ducked and the deer leaped over and crashed into a black, stone pillar. The pillar glowed a bit and the deer started letting out horrible screams. They were at such a pitch they could have easily shattered glass and, for a few minutes, Vela thought she was going deaf. She covered her ears, which didn't seem to help. Finally, the deer settled down and Vela thought it was safe for her to take her hands down. Then, it hit her.  
  
'The pillar!' She thought, also taking notice that the black pillar, which looked like it might have been carved from onyx, had a white, crystal circle on it, that seemed to glow for a few seconds after it was hit, then stop as the animals settled down. She shouted, "Guys, the pillar! Aim for that circle on the pillar!"  
  
Juno pulled out the bow and an arrow and was ready to fire when a doe, who had recovered faster than the other deer, suddenly rammed him in the chest and caused him to drop his weapons. The deer were charging everywhere, trying desperatly to protect their pillar and chaos reigned as a result. In the confusion, Vela had been trying to move and had managed to get within striking distance of the pillar. She lifted the sword and struck the circle, which split into two. Vela turned around and saw a buck in mid-jump, just about to trample on her. She coverd herself with her arms. Suddenly, she saw a flash and smoke. She looked up and all the deer were gone. Nothing was left of them except a purple smoke that hung in the air.  
  
Vela was about to lean against the pillar, but fell over and discovered that it wasn't there. In it's place was another medallion with a purple ribbon and a ghost carved onto it. Vela picked it up and looked at it for a minute before giving it to Juno. He picked her up and put her on his back as they started for the fortress, their final destination. They were maybe only another couple of fights away from going back home.  
  
"Juno, we just had to fight cannibal deer." Vela said, still worked up from the attack, "How can this get any worse?"  
  
"We're about to walk right into Crozen's fortress, we don't know anything about him except he's a mean son of a bitch, and we still don't know what happened to Tobias. Also, keep in mind, these monsters get worse and worse."  
  
"Oh God..." Vela leaned against his back. Something told her they were in for a looong fight...  
  
To Be Contiued...  
  
A/N: Just a little tidbit to take with you ^_^! I was originally going to use zombie animals and the final boss going to be a big, bad-ass ghost horse. But, the zombie idea would have jacked the rating up a notch and I wasn't willing to go to an R-rating on a story yet. And the ghost, I really couldn't fit in anymore. So, there you are, more useless trivia! 


End file.
